Is My Sanity Gone Yet?
by RogueRed
Summary: Daria is on winter break in her frosh year of college, and her issues along with other character issues, get resolved. DariaTom
1. Identity's Destruction

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: This is my first Daria fanfic. I never got the privilege to watch the movies, but I read the plot lines. I read the last one, which acted as the Daria finale-and, well, it rather disappointed me. The ending seemed very, well, unresolved to me. So that's where this fanfic comes in. It takes place during Daria's first year in college, winter break. (I cleaned this up a little bit. When I originally wrote this, it was very late at night. I apologize. I also edited the summary.)  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part One  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Daria Morgendorffer, Raft college student, had her eyes squinting. She was studying. It was past midnight, and she was determined to get a vast amount of knowledge into her head. . .regardless of how tiered and drained she was. There was only one problem. Her eyes could no longer focus in on the pages in front of her. Instead of learning material, it was a big, bright white and yellow blur. She groaned, closed her eyes and held her hand to her forehead.  
  
'Why do I even bother?' she thought as she heaved a sigh. 'Even with my glasses, my vision is horrible. And I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I'll probably die single. After I get my diploma, I'll change my name, pretend I am a deaf-mute, and move to Timbuktu where I'll live my life as a recluse. And I'll have my house full of cats.' In spite of herself, she had a twinge of a smile. No matter what, she'd always have her sarcasm to amuse her.  
  
Then it hit her. 'Why am I studying? I've just started winter break. I should do something fun.' Her face contorted into a sardonic smile. "Fun? I haven't had fun since-oh, I can't remember. Maybe I'll take a leaf out of Trent's book and sleep in.' That settled it. Daria was going to make up for her lack of sleep. She yawned, stretched her arms and dropped her glasses onto the edge of her bedside table. She fell asleep immediately.  
  
She had a nightmare. At the beginning, it was mostly Quinn's head floating in utter darkness, tilting her head tauntingly at Daria, repeating her snide comments about her "back-stabbing" Jane. Daria started running, and then found herself at the door, seeing Tom stand outside. She then turned into Quinn and snapped at him, "It's over!" and slammed the door in his face. Suddenly the room started spinning, and she found herself falling.  
  
CRACK.  
  
Her eyes flashed open. The sun was shining brightly in her dorm room. Her roommate was out.she had left to vacation with her boyfriend in the mountains, and she'd be gone for the whole time. Daria then realized that she was on the floor. She had fallen out of bed.and had landed on her glasses. She must have bumped her table during her dream and bumped the glasses onto the floor. She lifted herself off of them. Since she couldn't see a thing, she had to have her hand feel around to see if her glasses were intact. She realized that they had been split in two. She picked up one side and placed the lens to her eye. This lens was intact, but then she saw that the other was shattered.  
  
Daria felt a little bit of herself shattered, too. She had worn those glasses for a long time.they had always been part of her ensemble, and defined a certain part of her.and now they were broken. She realized that they wouldn't be easily fixed, either. 'Great' she thought as she heaved a sigh. 'So much for taking a leaf out of Trent's book. Now what?'  
  
She realized that she needed help. She didn't have a spare pair of glasses, or contacts.she learned a few years ago that they hurt her eyes. Then she thought of Jane. She was in the area.it wouldn't hurt giving her a call. Daria struggled to get herself up, still holding onto the intact lens so she'd dial correctly. She walked over to the phone and called. There were quite a few rings before she heard the familiar tone.  
  
"Jane Lane speaking."  
  
"Hey, Jane. It's Daria."  
  
"Hey. Haven't heard from you in a while. Been as busy as me?"  
  
"That depends. Does sleeping in and breaking your glasses count as busy?"  
  
"You broke your glasses? Gee, you must be as blind as a bat."  
  
"The understatement of the century."  
  
"So, I'd wager you need someone to drive you to the nearest glasses store."  
  
"Are you too busy? My mother is working, and let's not even START on my dad."  
  
"No, I'm not. I just started my winter break. Did you?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Ok, Morgendorffer. I'll be right over. Er, where are you located, exactly?"  
  
Daria gave Jane the address to the college and her dorm room number.  
  
"Ok. I'll be there in fifteen minutes at the most. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Daria hung up the phone and felt a bit better. She really did miss Jane. Perhaps this was just what she needed. Maybe her vacation would not be such a complete disaster after all.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part One  
  
So, what do you think? Please review. 


	2. Blind Girl Walking

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to Jess, The Waco Kid , and Ace Trax. I rarely get any constructive criticism, and considering that I am 16 and planning on becoming a writer, I need all of the help I can get. And also a thanks to delusionAli-yes, it's nice to actually see some Tom and Daria (  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 2  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Daria felt pretty proud of herself. She had somehow managed to get her clothes on correctly, without the use of vision. She had, however, bumped into quite a few things in the process. Once Jane had arrived, she gave Daria a walking stick and a pair of sunglasses, to which Daria remarked, "I still need my Seeing Eye dog." Walking to Jane's car had been rather easy, but when Daria tried to get inside, she bumped her head pretty bad.  
  
"So, how is life?" Jane asked as she drove.  
  
"Let's see. I broke my glasses because I had a nightmare and I have a big bump on my head. I feel swell."  
  
Jane lifted an eyebrow. "You had a nightmare? I didn't think nightmares bothered someone like you, Daria."  
  
Daria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Even a depression chick like me can be bothered by one. I really don't want to talk about it."  
  
Jane shrugged. "That's ok. What I really want to know is how your life has been-past all of that."  
  
"You can relate my life to my outward appearance. In other words, boring. My roommate isn't much of an entertainment, nor studying. All of my concentration has been focused on one thing: college."  
  
"Sounds like a thrill-and-a-half."  
  
"That's another reason why I called you" Daria added. "You were-are-my closest friend."  
  
"The feeling is mutual," Jane said with a slight smile. "As time went by, I realized how much fun I had with you-and I miss that."  
  
"We should go out for some pizza after this" Daria suggested.  
  
"Look back at the good old days" Jane said with a smirk. Then she frowned. "You haven't had breakfast, have you?"  
  
"Nope. What's wrong with having pizza for breakfast?"  
  
Jane parked the car in front of the shop, and made sure Daria didn't hit her head on the car again. "You'll lose precious brain cells," she said with a slight grin.  
  
Daria couldn't see much with the single lens that she had, but she recognized that Jane had brought her to the right place. This was her actual eye doctor's office, so she would not have any problems. However, Jane had to fill out Daria's long questionnaire.  
  
"Hmm, let's see here," Jane said, eyeing the list. "Are you allergic to anything?"  
  
"Only to stupid people and stupid questions."  
  
"Are you taking any drugs?"  
  
"Advil for the headaches produced from questionnaires."  
  
Jane lifted an eyebrow amusedly. "Engaged in sexual activity?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I'm just the little playboy bunny" Daria answered in monotone. Then she frowned. "What has that got to do with eyesight?"  
  
"You got me, Miss Playboy Bunny. And do you require glasses?"  
  
"Only if aliens invade."  
  
Once the whole thing was filled out, Jane had Daria sign and returned it to the front desk. To both of their surprise, Daria was asked to come in almost straight away. Jane came along with a magazine.  
  
They both entered the room and said hi to Daria's doctor, Kay. Early in her forties, the auburn-haired woman had a gentle and understanding face-and wore glasses herself. She smiled at Daria. "Since you came in just over a month ago, and it's obvious that you need a new pair of glasses, we'll just cut to the chase."  
  
"Thank God" Daria sighed. She had always liked her eye doctor. She was nearly as witty as she was, and she didn't try to prolong anything to see how much money she could make off of a patient. "Oh, but I don't want to just throw this pair in the trash. I was wondering if they could be repaired. In the meantime I'll wear a new pair."  
  
Kay looked at the destroyed pair with reluctance. "I'll see if it can be fixed. Obviously you'll need a new lens." Then she pointed to another desk where all of the frames and lenses were held. "Derrick will look these over. I'll be right back to help you find a new pair."  
  
Jane watched her leave as they headed towards the desk. "She's a really nice lady. One in a million where doctors are concerned, too."  
  
Daria nodded at her, then looked up at the man standing behind the desk, busy polishing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. "Umm, excuse me?"  
  
Derrick stopped and looked up at them. He smiled a fake, toothy smile. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Umm, I was wondering" she began, pulling out her shattered pair of glasses. "Can these be repaired?"  
  
He frowned and looked at them with great discern in his eyes. "Yeah, but it will take a while-like 1 and a half weeks, I wager. Er," he began, looking at her with a funny expression. "Maybe you should just go with a new pair."  
  
Now Daria was getting mad. People just didn't understand how much those glasses meant to her. "I'm buying a spare that I'll wear until these are fixed."  
  
"Of course you will" Kay replied from behind, coming behind the desk next to Derrick. "Fix these up. I'm going to help her choose a spare pair."  
  
Derrick still looked a bit confused and irritated, but he left. Then Kay turned to Daria and held out a few papers. She took them and saw different colored frames, differently shaped frames, and possibly any other frame you could possibly think up of. Daria quickly realized that they didn't carry her style.  
  
"I don't know which pair I should pick," she said ruefully.  
  
"Don't fret, Daria" Jane replied as she smirked. "I think that nice, 50's- style, pink, studded pair would suit you just fine."  
  
The doctor took the papers and flipped to a certain page. Her eyes lit up. "Ah, yes. I think these would suit you just fine."  
  
Daria and Jane looked to where Kay pointed. They were rectangular in shape, with the edges curved softly. The frame itself was colored redwood. Daria felt a bit skeptical, but she trusted Kay's judgement. "Let me try them on."  
  
Kay went over to the wall and pulled out the pair. She turned back, handed Daria the glasses and smiled. As she touched the pair, Daria felt very anxious, although she'd never openly admit it. Now she missed her old glasses more than ever. She slipped them on with caution, then looked into the mirror.  
  
She raised her eyebrows. She didn't look bad in these at all. They seemed to go well with not only her face, but also her personality. They emphasized a kind of maturity in her, and she liked that. She smiled slightly.  
  
"I'll take them."  
  
~*~  
  
So, what do you think? Please review.  
  
SPOILER ALERT  
  
For those of you who are wondering when the heck Tom is going to show up, don't worry.he'll come in the next chapter. 


	3. Maybe Life Isn't So Bad

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: Hey! First off, thanks again for all of your reviews. Hecatonchires- your question will be answered in this chapter. Amanda- that was exactly what I was going for. Darkpride- I can only imagine how important glasses are to their owners. I always thought Daria had a great void in her heart for them. Anonymous-thank you! XxArEULoStxX- I completely agree! Rei Woo- I have an old Microsoft Word, but I'll get a new one soon. The length of this chapter should make you happy (. Wookie- a friend of mine goes by that nickname! And thank you very much.  
  
And MANY thanks to Mere who pointed out that chapter four had been posted twice, and took the place of chapter three.  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 3  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Daria and Jane walked out and onto the sidewalk. The sun was bright now.it was after noon. Jane checked her watch.  
  
"Ready for a pizza brunch? Then we can really catch up with each other."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"By the way, those glasses really suit you" she said with a smile.  
  
Daria nodded. "Hey, remember when I had to write a story for class?"  
  
Jane lifted an eyebrow. "How could I not? The story with me running off with Kevin was just too funny to simply forget."  
  
Daria looked down the sidewalks at the little shops and such. She had to admit it was nice to be able to see again. "Do you know of a specific pizza place around here?"  
  
Jane nodded. "It's just down two streets. We can walk."  
  
They started walking down. Everywhere they turned, there was some sort of Christmas decoration. a little dancing Santa was behind one window, surrounded by toy reindeer. The smell of candy canes filled the air.  
  
"Just gets everyone into the spirit of things" Jane commented.  
  
"Especially the toy Rudolf whose nose lights up red at anyone who passes by. Christmas is too materialistic. No one really thinks about the origins of the holiday.just what present they'll get under the tree."  
  
"But Christmas isn't just receiving, it's giving" Jane remarked. "Have you finished all of your shopping yet?"  
  
Daria looked thoughtful. "Let's see. . .I bought my mom a nice stationary set, Quinn gets a nice outfit, you-I'm not telling," she said with a smile.  
  
Jane smirked. "Of course not. You don't want to ruin the surprise. Who else?"  
  
"Umm. . .I got Trent a gift card to a music store. My extended family I still need to shop for, except for my Aunt Amy. . .I got her a book. I just hope she doesn't have it yet," she said hopefully. "And the one person I've had the hardest time shopping for is my dad."  
  
Jane frowned. "Why is that?"  
  
Daria sighed. "Everything I've seen that would probably be a nice gift for him would at the same time remind him of his childhood. . .he's crazy enough as it is. I don't want to encourage it."  
  
"Aww, but it's so funny when he goes nuts!" Jane said with a grin. Then her face went back to normal. "But seriously, I'll help you out. I need to shop for my parents. Everyone else is set. When are you going back to Lawndale?"  
  
Daria shrugged. "In about two days. How about you?"  
  
They entered the pizza restaurant. The smell was wonderful. . .Daria took it all in. She loved Italian food. This wasn't like the old pizza place she and Jane used to always eat at. This was a really nice place.  
  
"In 3 days" Jane answered, pulling Daria out of her revelry. "Nice place, huh?"  
  
They were immediately escorted to a booth. The setup was colored maroon, and the seats were very soft. They sat down comfortably while the waiter said, "Your waitress will be with you in just a moment."  
  
Jane watched him walk away. "He was cute."  
  
Daria shrugged at the comment. She really hadn't looked at anyone since she broke up with Tom, which was something she found to be a little odd, but that was just how she felt. She missed him. They had always gotten along so well. . .okay, so they did have some fights every now and then, but that was just their nature. They were both witty, and had the same opinions on most things. The real difference between them, other than the fact that they were opposite sexes, was that Daria was stubborn and Tom was more open to things. That was really why they were so perfect for each other. Tom didn't care about outward appearance, and they both thought mostly the same way. They had an understanding for each other.  
  
Why had she been so stupid and blind to the truth?  
  
Jane frowned at her. "Come on Daria. That guy was the reincarnate of Brad Pitt. I thought you liked Brad Pitt."  
  
Daria sighed. "I've kinda given up men. I mean, what's the point? Look at me. I'm nothing special to look at or think about."  
  
Jane looked at her. "Tom thought you were."  
  
She sighed again. "You just had to bring him up, didn't you?"  
  
"Come on. You two made sense. You had a perfect relationship. When you two were dating, and I thought back to how you liked Trent and all. . .well, I thought you had really found your match. Trent was not right for you. All he really cares about is his music. He's thoughtful, but not like you. And he never really has his priorities in the right place. But Tom really cared about you. And I know you really cared about him."  
  
"I only broke up with him because we would never get to see each other," Daria said firmly. "Yes, I really did care about him. I cared about him enough to care about his feelings and not just mine. It would be too hard on the both of us."  
  
Jane tilted her head. "I don't think that's it."  
  
Daria frowned at her. "So then what is it?"  
  
"I think you were scared. Did you ever tell him that you loved him?"  
  
Daria stopped. Jane had a point. . .that wasn't something that made her feel better of course, but it was true. She shook her head in response. "But I-I did."  
  
The waitress then came up to their table. She had her pen ready in her hand.  
  
"Hey! I'm Pat. Would you like anything to drink?"  
  
Jane looked up and smirked. "Two Ultra-Colas, please."  
  
Daria couldn't help but smile herself as the waitress walked away. "I'll never forget Ms. Lee going crazy that day."  
  
Jane nodded. "Ah, the good old days. So, Miss Morgendorffer, what's your excuse for not visiting me?"  
  
Daria rolled her eyes. "You just wait until you get into college. You'll have your hands full then, too. I haven't even been able to visit my parents since I started going to Raft. Even during Thanksgiving. Besides, I talked to you over the phone, didn't I?"  
  
Jane nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. It's not like I visited you for the past few months. Since I haven't started the second semester yet, I've just been traveling around, doing a bunch of different art projects. . .the goal is to get a scholarship." Then she frowned. "Say, how did you know where I was?"  
  
Daria smiled. "About a month ago, I called your house. I guess I was lucky. . .Trent was awake. He said you were not there, but he said you should be in Boston in about a week or so, and he gave me your phone number."  
  
"So, it was my brother that sold me out. Figures."  
  
The waitress came back and gave them their drinks. After they ordered a huge pizza to share, she left the table and they resumed their conversation.  
  
"So, do you have any big plans for the holidays?" Daria asked.  
  
"My parents are in China or something. Trent has been practicing with the band, but his fellow players should be leaving soon to go spend the holidays with their families. I guess we'll just eat Chinese takeout."  
  
"You should come over to my house for Christmas" Daria told her. "Both you and Trent. I really don't think my parents would have a problem with it."  
  
Jane smiled gratefully. "That would be great. Who is going to be there?"  
  
Daria made a fake smile. "It's going to be a family reunion."  
  
Jane nodded. "Okay, moral support, dinner and a show. Sounds great."  
  
~*~  
  
Daria arrived at Lawndale. She smiled slightly at the sight before her. The first snow had come in, and the whole town looked like a frosted winter wonderland. She was eager to get home and meet her family, but she had the urge to go get her mother some flowers. She felt it would only be appropriate. If Quinn asked anything, she'd say it was for everyone.  
  
She still remembered every little shop, every house, and every single detail about the place. 'I could walk around here with my eyes closed' she thought with amusement. She started down the sidewalk with her suitcase and almost immediately came to the floral shop. She stepped inside. The temperature wasn't much different. 'No kidding. The flowers have to live too. I'll just get some hot chocolate when I get home.'  
  
At first she looked at the ready flower arrangements, but none seemed to appeal to her. They were all too holiday-oriented. It wouldn't show any thought behind it from Daria. She decided she'd be creative and make the arrangement herself. She was making sure she was being color-coordinated. 'Quinn would have an easy time doing this' she thought with irritation. 'I wish I had her color-sense right now. Dear God. What am I thinking?' She shook her head quickly to get the thought out. She kept looking down at the flowers, not really paying attention to where she was going.  
  
BUMP.  
  
Daria fell down and landed on her butt. Her glasses had gone askew, and she fumbled with them as she kept stuttering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." When she looked up, her eyes widened.  
  
"You-you-"  
  
"I'm not that awful, am I?"  
  
Daria cheeks turned red. "Hey Tom."  
  
He smiled. "Hey Daria." He held out his hand to her. She took it gratefully and pulled herself up. For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other. Tom finally realized what he was doing and decided to break the silence.  
  
"Uh, need some help with that?" he asked.  
  
Daria snapped out of it. "Uh, sure. That would be great."  
  
They both started picking up the flowers. They were all still intact. Daria sighed in relief.  
  
"They're for my mother" she explained. "I just got back from Boston for Christmas."  
  
Tom nodded. "Actually, I was buying some flowers for my family too, but I can't seem to find an arrangement that isn't so.red and green" he said with a smile.  
  
"That's why I'm making my own. Winter holidays are just so. . ."  
  
"Materialistic?" he finished. They had finished collecting up all of the flowers and were looking at each other again.  
  
"Took the words right out of my mouth."  
  
He smiled warmly at her. Daria felt her heart rate increase. 'Just be calm, and nothing will go wrong' she thought to herself.  
  
"So, how long are you staying here?" he asked.  
  
"A week and a half or so. You?"  
  
"Same. Hey, could you help me pick out something? I honestly don't know anything about flower arrangements."  
  
"Tom, look who you're talking to."  
  
"But you're a woman. You have much more sense with these things than me."  
  
'He called me a woman' she thought in wonder. 'He respects me. He's always respected me. God, was I an idiot. . .'  
  
"Uh, okay. But let me finish arranging this first."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Daria put some more flowers together and then set it on the counter. She headed back over to Tom.  
  
"So, what sort of colors did you have in mind?" she asked him.  
  
"I was thinking light colors, like whites, baby pinks, and lavender."  
  
Daria racked her brain. She started looking all around her, trying to picture the arrangement in her mind. After about a minute of thinking and looking, she had it all perfectly planned out. She grabbed the necessary amount of specific flowers (all of which she didn't know the names of except for the roses) and after a few minutes had created her masterpiece. She looked at Tom.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
He smiled. "It's perfect. You know, you never give yourself enough credit."  
  
"Only because I don't want my ego to grow bigger than me."  
  
"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed," he said with a smirk.  
  
They walked over to the register. Daria smiled back at him, then looked at her watch. Her eyes widened. "I'd better go. It's an hour over when I said I'd get home."  
  
Tom nodded. "Okay. Uh, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go eat at the pizza place tomorrow. You know, to catch up on things." He looked hopeful.  
  
Daria handed the clerk her money and smiled. "Sure. How about at one?"  
  
"Sounds perfect."  
  
Daria blushed slightly. 'I hope he didn't see that' she thought, irritated. "Okay. Well.see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Daria walked out into the snow. However, she wasn't cold at all. . .she felt quite warm. 'Maybe coming back to Lawndale wasn't a total loss. . .' she thought as she walked down the road.  
  
~*~  
  
Please review! 


	4. Home Eep Home

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: Hello again! Sorry it took me so long to put up this chapter.I went on vacation for a few weeks. Thanks again to those who gave me feedback. For those who asked about something, I hope this Author's Note helps. I just wanted to state something: it's been several months since the last time we saw Daria. She's been away from Jane and the rest of her family for most of the time.quite frankly, I don't think she'd be as sarcastic if she got a nice vacation away from those who make her sarcastic. So in these past chapters, Daria hasn't been the Daria we are used to (and Jane has changed somewhat herself.she's been on an art spree, and she's started to embrace life a bit). Therefore, I felt that by this time, most of the characters have changed somewhat. Everyone grows up at least a little at some point in time in his or her lives, and that's usually when their surroundings change. I know we all love the sarcasm.but trust me, it's going to come back now that Daria will be thrown amongst her family. As for Tom not having mentioned Daria's new glasses-that will come up in the next chapter, so just sit tight.  
  
BTW-If anyone knows how to get the Italics to work, could you let me know? Oh, and does anyone know what school year Quinn is currently in? I know she's younger than Daria, but I know nothing past that. And also, I apologize if the quotes or apostrophes come out to be something weird.I honestly have no idea why it did that for just that chapter alone.I've seen it on a lot of other fics posted on ff.net.  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 4  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Daria blinked at the sun, turned her head in irritation and frowned. 'I just acted like I was brain-dead back in there! What the hell is wrong with me? I have to get over Tom. . .'  
  
Another voice came inside her head, but this one was a voice Daria hadn't heard in a long time. 'Yeah, SURE you'll get over Tom. Maybe if you keep your eyes closed and shut off your brain entirely, he won't affect you.'  
  
Daria had an extremely pissed-off expression. "God, I'm a sap." She heaved a sigh, causing steam to rise in front of her face due to the cold temperature (all of Lawndale was covered in snow, after all). She had a vague memory of herself when she was four years old, constantly doing that and pretending to be a dragon. Quinn was, of course, the little princess who couldn't do anything about it.  
  
She had the slightest smirk on her face as she pushed forward heading towards her house, dragging her black rolling suitcase behind her. The rolling created a sort of growing sound of thunder, reminding her of her anger and eventually of Tom.  
  
'He really doesn't look like he's changed at all. Well, of course he hasn't changed. He doesn't need to, because I was the one always creating problems. I always end up being the one who bitches around, not opening up to anyone and keeping the majority of my thoughts to myself.' She looked down at her feet and sighed, thinking that maybe the sarcastic comments in her head could possibly hold truth. 'The entire world is my enemy now. There's not much I can do about it.' She looked up and realized that she had just passed her house. That really didn't help the mood she was currently in.  
  
"How the hell can one person invade my thoughts to this extent?" she yelled out to the world in fury. She sighed, realizing that she probably looked like a complete idiot. She sauntered her way up to the Morgendorffer residence. She paused for a moment while in front of the door. 'Do I honestly want to do this? Sure, I'm kinda missing my family-even Quinn. God, did I just think that? Oh, to hell with it, I'm ringing the doorbell.' She pressed the little white button next to the door. 'Good thing I'm going back to my room with padded walls.'  
  
She heard a shuffling noise, and then saw the door shake with a too recognizable voice behind it. "Damn blasted doorknob! Why won't it turn? Turn, damnit, turn! Oh, I can't do anything right."  
  
"Dad, just turn the little lock inside the doorknob, and nobody will get hurt."  
  
There was a clicking noise, and Jake sounded much like his happy self again. "Hey, thanks kiddo!" The doorknob turned and the door swung open to reveal none other then the wacky yet highly amusing Jake Morgendorffer. He smiled happily at Daria and gave her an unexpected tight hug. Daria started gasping for air. "Thank God you're here! This whole family reunion party thing has got your mom and everyone else quite-er-unpleasant! You were always level-headed."  
  
"I'm glad that at least somebody thinks so," Daria said with a gasp.  
  
Jake let go of his daughter and looked at her. "And just look at you! You- you got new glasses?"  
  
Daria shifted slightly. This was still an uncomfortable subject for her. "Er, well, they're only temporary. My old ones broke and won't be ready for a while."  
  
"Ah.I see."  
  
"I can, too."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"Daria!" a sudden voice exclaimed that made our favorite teen jump back. She blinked at the new person standing in front of her.  
  
"Hey Quinn."  
  
"Oooh, you got new glasses! As a member of the-er-okay, the Fashion Club isn't around anymore, but as one who used to be, I have to say that those glasses look very classy on you."  
  
She stared at her sister in disbelief. "You're saying that wearing these glasses look-fashionable?"  
  
Quinn nodded fervently.  
  
It was then that Daria heard some arguing. She peered over Quinn's shoulder to see her own mother and her Aunt Rita.  
  
"Look, Rita. I have a big case that I have to take care right now, and if I don't leave this house in five minutes I'll be in serious trouble!"  
  
"Well escuuusee me! I just thought you might want to look into the caterers today, seeing the limited amount of time we have to make this stupid dinner work!"  
  
"If I didn't work, Rita, then we wouldn't be able to afford this dinner in the first place!" Helen suddenly realized that Daria had arrived and went over to greet her. "Honey! I'm so glad you made it!"  
  
Daria awkwardly pushed the bouquet of flowers towards her mother. "Er, these are for you."  
  
Helen beamed at her daughter with pride. "I'll put these in water straight away." She blinked for a moment. "Oh, sweetie, you bought a new pair of glasses!"  
  
"They're just temporary. I broke my old ones" she repeated, starting to get tiered of saying this over and over again.  
  
"That's nice, honey. Well, I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but I'll be back tonight." She gave Jake a quick kiss and a glare at her sister before she said, "Bye!" as she walked out the door.  
  
Rita looked furious, but smiled at her just-arrived niece. "Daria, those glasses look fantastic on you. How has college been?"  
  
"Tiring. I've been working my butt off. But it's worth it, I guess. And I-" Daria turned red for just a moment. "I have a column in the student newspaper. They're saying that they might make me editor next year."  
  
Rita blinked at Daria, completely taken aback. The misery chick was involved with a school activity. "That's wonderful! Do you plan on becoming a writer, Daria?"  
  
She shrugged slightly. "Well, I enjoy it, and I get to speak my thoughts."  
  
Quinn looked at Daria with a smile. She felt a surge of pride and admiration in her sister-which was something she'd never tell to anyone, of course, but all the same that was how she felt. "I knew you'd like something in this world, Daria."  
  
The comment made Daria irritated. "There are plenty of things I like in the world, like not having to hear anyone yammer on in a baby voice. And my padded walls, and Jane, and To-"  
  
She stopped dead mid-sentence and turned cherry red. "Eep!" she exclaimed then ran up to her room and shut the door. The rest of the inhabitants in the house just stared at the stairs for a moment's silence.  
  
"I knew she still liked him," Quinn said quietly in a much more mature voice than we're used to.  
  
Jake looked suspicious. "Who's 'him'?"  
  
"Oh, daddy, don't you remember Daria's old-" She stopped after seeing the clueless look on Jake's face. She sighed. "Nevermind."  
  
~*~  
  
So, what do you think? Please review. 


	5. It's NOT a date!

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: So, here is chapter five. First off I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been really busy and I just got back to school. I think the chapter length will make up for it though-hopefully :o)  
  
Ruby Love-why did the eep thing throw you off? Daria said eep on the show whenever she'd get freaked out or embarassed. Not all of the time, but she's done it more than once. An example would be the episode that Trent stayed over at her house, and he'd just been offered to stay. It's on your favorites? *grins* I know the characters are a little OOC-twas intended. In the few months that these individuals have been apart, many have had some experiences that have made them change a bit. These things shall be touched upon in later chapters. However, a few characters shall stay basically the same. I'm glad you saw it, though-it proves you know the charcters :o)  
  
I realized in my last note that I forgot to say something about Tom and Daria's "date". One, it isn't a date. Recall the movie "Is it College Yet?" Daria and Tom are talking to each other near the end, and Tom asks Daria if it would be okay with her if they met up and spoke to each other every now and then, to which Daria thought would be fine. Therefore, Daria would be expecting Tom to do something like this and would not consider it to be a date.  
  
I would also like to thank mahna mahna for letting me know about my spelling error :o)  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 5  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Daria's eyes slowly opened to see her old room full of padded walls, skull heads and other creepy junk she's procured during high school. She smiled serenely to herself. 'Ah, I'm home' she thought. She blinked and then realized she had taken a nap with her glasses still on. She sat up in bed and stretched a bit. The sun was now setting, and the sky was full of pink and gold.  
  
She checked her watch to see what time it was. Unfortunately, it wasn't a digital. 'Damnit! Stupid little lines! Even with my glasses I can't read what time it is!' she thought irritably as she squinted. After about ten rather long seconds, she read the time to be seven p.m. 'Geese, I must have been tired. Guess it's time to go down and face my lunatic family.'  
  
She got up and walked down the stairs. It almost felt like just yesterday when she'd still been at Lawndale High, waking up at an ungodly hour to get to school on time. She walked into the living room, seeing a Sick Sad World playing on the t.v. "Is the FBI watching you everywhere in your homes? Are there little cameras hidden in the shower? Perverted agents tonight on Sick Sad World!"  
  
She walked into the kitchen to see Quinn sitting at the table chatting on the phone. "I KNOW, Sandi! I mean, slime green nail polish? What was she THINKING? Somebody should call her. Give her a good talking-to about color- coordination." She paused. "Well of course the color is horrendous to begin with! That's what makes it so much worse!"  
  
Daria turned to see what smelt so good. . .but it was also something that nearly made her fall over in shock. It was her mother, but she was. . .COOKING.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
Helen looked up from what she was doing and smiled brightly at her. "Daria! I'm so glad you're awake. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Did you have a nice nap?"  
  
Daria blinked. "Mom, you're cooking. . ."  
  
Helen started for a moment, and then everything registered. "Oh! Well, I wanted to do something special for you since you just got back. It's not every day that my college daughter comes for a visit." She smiled at her.  
  
Daria just shook her head, but still appreciated what her mom was doing. "Umm, thanks."  
  
"Oh, honey, could you get your father and aunt to come and sit down at the table? I have to keep an eye on these potatoes" she said looking at her work with a slight grimace.  
  
"Alright."  
  
Daria walked out and knocked on the guest room door. "Aunt Rita? It's Daria."  
  
"Is dinner ready?" said an eager, muffled voice.  
  
She lifted her eyebrows, but stayed in her monotone voice. "Yes. You should head over to the dinner table now before the ravenous wolves come and eat everything."  
  
She turned around and headed over to her parent's bedroom, and found that the door was open. She peered in and saw her father sitting on his bed, looking quite putout.  
  
"Um, dad?"  
  
Jake looked up and immediately his facial expression changed. He was quite happy to see her. "Hey, kiddo!"  
  
"Dinner is ready. Mom wants us all to come sit at the table."  
  
"It's not penne a la pesto, is it?" he asked, looking quite nervous.  
  
She blinked. "Don't worry, dad. If anyone tries to splat food on your head, I'll take the blow."  
  
"Gee, thanks!" He suddenly looked down and twiddled with his fingers for a moment, then looked back up at her. "Daria, could I ask you something?"  
  
She nodded, wondering what he was feeling so awful about.  
  
"Well, the thing is. . ." He scratched his head and looked to the side of the room, then back at her. "I know I'm not-well, a very normal dad. And not someone that I'd think anyone would look up to. But am I doing okay, you know, as a father?"  
  
"Haven't we had a conversation like this before?"  
  
"Well, yes. But I need reassurance, Daria. I haven't seen you in months. I just would like to know if I have ever been of any help to where you are today, you know? My father NEVER supported me, always saying I wasn't GOOD enough, that I was WIMP! Well, EXCUSE ME, mister-"  
  
"Dad!" Daria didn't want her father to have another heart attack.  
  
He had a sheepish look. "Uh, sorry. That's just what I mean." He looked down at his feet. "You must be embarrassed to even be related to me."  
  
"Listen, dad," she said, coming up closer to him. She hated it when he got depressed. "So you're a little bit crazy. But everyone-especially in this family-is. Mom is a workaholic, Quinn's voice is so high that she could break windows, and I'm-" She stopped. 'Cynical.' "Well, you know what I mean. You had a hard childhood, but you learned something from it. You might start ranting about it, but you've always been really supportive, and above all, that's the kind of thing that a parent should be."  
  
He looked up and smiled at her. "You really DO understand me!"  
  
Daria couldn't help but smirk. Even if her father was nutty, he had his moments. "Come on. I'm getting hungry."  
  
They left the room and entered the kitchen. Quinn had put the phone away, which surprised Daria immensely. Her aunt Rita sat next to her, who sat next to Helen. Daria sat down next to her mother, and Jake took the vacant seat next to Quinn. Everything was silent for a moment, excluding the clanging of silverware and plates. Helen decided to break the silence.  
  
"So, how has everyone's day been?" she said cheerfully.  
  
No one seemed to want to answer. Daria's eyes discreetly moved from side to side, bending over her food as to have pretended she hadn't heard her mother.  
  
Helen frowned. "Oh, could someone PLEASE say SOMETHING?" she said with agitation. Her eyes landed on Quinn. "Sweetie, how was your day?"  
  
Quinn looked slightly taken-aback, but shrugged it off. "Oh, just talked to everyone from the Fashion-I mean, I talked to Stacy-she wanted to know what color suited her better; blue or green. Then I talked to Tiffany, who seemed to need reassurance that she wasn't fat. . .God, she's crazy AND has to talk slower than a snail can move. Then later Sandi called to tell me that this girl named Rachel from my class wore slime green nail polish." She shuddered at the very thought.  
  
Helen blinked at her child, then turned to Daria, hoping that she had something more intelligent to say. . .if she could get anything out of her that is.  
  
"Daria, how was your day?" she said eagerly.  
  
Suddenly everyone was staring at her, and she shifted uncomfortably. "Well, getting to Lawndale wasn't too bad. When I got here, I went to the flower shop and bumped-literally-into Tom."  
  
Helen's eyes widened, Quinn looked positively delighted, Rita blinked in confusion, and Jake scratched his head.  
  
"Sloane?" Jake piped up, his eyes narrowing slightly.  
  
"Umm, yeah" Daria said, looking down at her plate and blushing slightly.  
  
Rita looked quite puzzled. "Tom Sloane? As in the really rich Sloane family?"  
  
"She dated him" Quinn piped up.  
  
Rita smirked at Daria. "I knew there was some sense in you!"  
  
"I feel so flattered" Daria said cynically, frowning.  
  
"So what did you two talk about?" Helen asked curiously.  
  
She shrugged, but was starting to get irritated. She really didn't want to talk about it. "He was there buying some flowers for his mother. I helped him arrange it. We really didn't talk much, but I'm going to see him tommorow."  
  
Quinn's eyes widened. She was positively delighted. "Oh my gosh! I KNEW you two would get back together. Or are you just taking it slow for now?"  
  
Jake shifted uncomfortably.  
  
Daria clenched her fists in agitation. "It's NOT a date."  
  
"But you two are meeting up, aren't you?" Rita replied evenly. Daria sighed. "Look, when we broke up, we decided to stay friends, and meet up with each other every now and then to talk about stuff. Therefore, it's NOT a date!"  
  
Helen nodded. "That's right, Daria. Don't let any boy get it into his head that you're there whenever he darn well pleases."  
  
"Umm. . .could someone please pass the potatoes?" Jake asked timidly, avoiding everyone's gaze.  
  
"What do you mean, Helen? The richest boy in our town shows intrest and you think your daughter should just pass that up?" Rita snapped.  
  
"NO, I'm saying that Daria should stick to her morals, and not let any man dictate them!"  
  
Quinn bit her lip. She didn't want her mother and aunt to fight again. . .and since Amy would be coming soon, it would only get worse. "Umm, here, dad" she said to Jake, handing him a bowl.  
  
"Well, not everyone in this family has to be Miss I-do-everything!"  
  
Helen crossed her arms. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You never let anyone help you! No wonder you married such a helpless man!"  
  
Daria and Helen narrowed their eyes. By the looks of it, Helen was going to spout fire.  
  
"My husband is not helpless! He's loyal, dedicated and loving. Not that YOU'D understand any of that!"  
  
"At least I don't marry wimps!"  
  
"Why you-"  
  
Daria got up abruptly from that table. She couldn't stand anymore for the evening. Perhaps if she hurried, she could catch the rest of Sick Sad World. She stomped away from the kitchen and went all the way into her room, locking herself inside.  
  
Back at the table, everyone was blinking in confusion. "Is it something I said?" Jake asked, the most bewildered. Throughout the conversation he'd blocked a lot out. . .he was used to those kind of remarks by now. Quinn looked at her dad sympathetically. "No, daddy."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*  
  
Please review! 


	6. Where Did THIS Drama Come From?

Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and Noggin do.  
  
A/N: Sorry I take so long to post up new chapters.school and the play I'm in run me ragged. Luckily I got some spare time to write. Thank you to all that reviewed! If nobody reviewed, I probably wouldn't keep writing this fanfic. Too bad there aren't many Tom/Daria fans out there though.oh well. Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 6  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Daria woke up, her head aching as though she had a volcano instead of a brain. She blinked slowly and squinted, as the sun shone brightly through her window. She scratched her head, yawned, and lifted her arm up to her face to see what time it was.  
  
'Already past noon' she thought, blinking at her watch. Well, the hour hand was just a little past the number twelve.she wasn't even going to try looking at how many minutes past. Her brain wasn't ready to fully function just yet. She sat up slowly and stretched, then got up to take a shower. ~*~ Quinn sat at the breakfast table, looking wide-awake and happy as usual. One would not think twice on this.if it weren't for the fact that her cell phone was going off frantically and she wouldn't even touch it. Helen, who was pouring some coffee, turned to look at her daughter and nearly spilled coffee all over her skirt.  
  
She looked slightly nervous, as though it was really her who wouldn't answer. "Um, honey, why aren't you answering your phone?"  
  
Quinn shifted slightly. She knew she was not acting like her old, usual self. But truth to be told, she had missed her sister, and was trying as hard as she could to not appear conceited. "Oh, you know, with Daria just getting back, I thought it would be nice to ignore the phone for a little while."  
  
Helen held a knowing look in her eyes. "Of course, sweetie."  
  
Jake then walked in, looking quite groggy with his face not shaved and his bathrobe hanging askew. He walked slowly over to the coffee just as Helen sat down at the table across from Quinn. He pulled out a huge mug and poured some coffee into it. He then looked down into the dark liquid, and after a moment, screamed and spilled the coffee.  
  
"Oh, Jake!" Helen groaned with exasperation as she tried to clean up the mess. Jake was shaking with fear.  
  
Quinn looked up with worry. "Um, daddy? What's wrong?"  
  
Jake was holding his arms tight, his eyes wide with apprehension. "I-I saw.I saw him! There he was! Those red eyes, staring at me with that menacing smile! I can't take it anymore, damnit! He won't leave me alone! He never does!" He started crying, his arms flailing over his face to hide from shame.  
  
Daria walked in, her eyes wide. "What the."  
  
"Oh, it was just your father reliving some old nightmares" Helen said sympathetically as she pat her husband on the shoulder.  
  
She shook her head and sat down at the table. She looked up at Quinn to see her sister smiling at her. Daria frowned. "What?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing.it's just nice to have you back."  
  
"Uh-huh. Right. Now what happened to my real sister?"  
  
Jake hit his hands on the floor in agony. "I'm tired of it, damnit! Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn, there he is! Just WAITING to mess up my day, just like he always did!" Jake opened his eyes to see another hallucination of his father.but this time it was like he really WAS standing there.physically mad-dogging Jake into insanity.  
  
Jake had lost it.literally. This was not just a simple phobia anymore.  
  
He'd developed schizophrenia.  
  
"Aaah! There he is again!" Jake screamed, throwing himself back into a cabinet. Daria and Quinn turned to look.  
  
Helen frowned in exasperation. "Now, Jake, there's nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"But he's RIGHT THERE! I can see him! Don't you see his red eyes?"  
  
"Ewww, dad!"  
  
Daria frowned. "Dad.you-you know he isn't there, right?"  
  
Jake just stared into solid space in quaking fear. He clutched his bathrobe miserably.  
  
Quinn bit her lip. "Daddy?"  
  
Jake closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, his father was gone. He stood up as his family stared at him.  
  
"Um, heh.sorry." he stuttered as he hurried out of the room.  
  
Their eyes followed him out, and when he was gone, they gave each other glances.  
  
Daria couldn't take a minute of it.  
  
"Um, yeah.I, uh, lost my appetite, so I'll just.go get ready to meet up with Tom." She got up from her chair and rushed out. ~*~ "I'm telling you, it was the creepiest thing I've seen since I saw that made-over picture of Quinn" Daria said with enthusiasm to Tom as they sat in a pizza booth.  
  
Tom frowned. "Made-over?"  
  
"She thought she needed to go in for plastic surgery."  
  
"Well, if that's true, then I guess we're all damned to hell."  
  
"That surprises you?"  
  
"Nope, not at all."  
  
Daria smiled at him. She still wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to tell him all of that. When they had been dating, she refrained from telling him anything that happened in her family life. Tom also realized that she was acting a bit peculiar, but he didn't mind it.it made him feel better knowing she still trusted him. Still, what she had just told had him worried.  
  
"Anyhow, it really creeped me out" Daria admitted, looking down at her pizza with a slight frown.  
  
"Well, your dad has always been a little.odd" Tom said with a shrug.  
  
"That's putting it VERY lightly."  
  
"Just trying to be nice."  
  
Daria sighed, and Tom tilted his head at her with concern. "Well, he's always done stuff like this, hasn't he? Maybe it was just too early in the morning."  
  
She shook her head. "I don't think that's it. I'm starting to worry that it's become.serious."  
  
"You mean.schizophrenia?" he said, his voice lowering.  
  
"He's always been a little crazy when it comes to his father. It's made him crazy his whole life and I guess my whole family has thought of it as simply a phobia.but maybe it's something more serious than that. I mean, if I'm related to him, then there must be something throwing off the gene. I don't freak out to the extent that he does." She shrugged. "In any case, I'm really worried about him, and with this whole Christmas get-together thing he'll probably be driven over the edge."  
  
Tom looked up in curiosity. "Christmas get-together?"  
  
Daria turned slightly red. "Erm, yeah.it's more like a family reunion. But if you.er.wanted to come."  
  
Tom smiled. "That would be great. I'll need to get out of the house as it is.my parents are having a bunch of rich and snobby coworkers over." He wrinkled his nose. "And what's worse, I'm going to have to work with them soon enough."  
  
"Imagine, you controlling a major business."  
  
"And not knowing what the hell I'm doing. Scares the living daylight out of me."  
  
They smirked at each other. Daria started staring at his lips.after a few moments she caught herself and tore her eyes away. Tom was looking into her eyes a bit wistfully.  
  
'Oh God, somebody shoot me already!' Daria thought in agony. 'Why the hell did I think this was a good idea? I'm driving myself insane.'  
  
"Want another slice?" Tom offered, breaking her train of thought.  
  
"Oh, no. I think that grease filled me up nicely."  
  
Daria's cell phone rang, and she hurriedly pulled it out to see who was calling.  
  
"You have a phone?"  
  
"Mom gave it to me as a going-away present. I don't use it that much obviously, but." She stopped and answered the phone. "This is Daria Morgendorffer, misery chick. How can I help you?" She paused with a frown, and after a few moments hanged up. She looked up at Tom. "It's Jane.she says her brother and his band are driving her crazy."  
  
"Well, you'd better go and save her then. I guess I'll see you soon?"  
  
She smiled. "Yeah."  
  
Inside, Tom was grinning. He couldn't tell her how happy he was to talk to her again. They stood near the door, and from some odd premonition they both looked up to see mistletoe.  
  
'Now that was TOO predictable' Daria thought with irritation and slight amusement. She looked at Tom, who was gazing at her with a mix of want and curiosity. Daria hesitated slightly, then just gave him a simple peck on the cheek and hurried out.her cheeks were turning red.  
  
What she didn't know was that Tom was as red as she was.  
  
~*~  
  
Again, sorry for the delay! Please review.I'm quite curious to see how people will respond to Jake's condition. As for that, I'm not joking at all in regards to people with schizophrenia.it is a serious, sad and critical condition. I always felt that Jake couldn't just be overly phobic about his father.he always got way too stressed over his father. Of course, that's just my opinion lol. I'm sorry that this chapter wasn't very long. I just finished the play, so I should get some more free-writing time. 


	7. Stinky Socks

A/N: So, the fic is back on! It's before finals now, and my teachers were sparing with homework today for some odd reason. So, here I am, and I'm going to type my heart out. I'd like to thank Ruby Love, Mahna Mahna, Jade, *******, and laan for supporting this fic. Anyhow, I've decided that I'm just going to type and see what I come up with. Sometimes my randomness pays off.  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part 7  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
In the Lane residence, there was a distinct odor of pizza, beer, soda, and old smelly socks in the air. As usual, Jane and Trent's parents were out of the country. The entire house was a horrible mess, with dirty laundry, old pizza boxes, and empty cans scattered all over the place. In the background, one could hear instruments being experimented with.  
  
Jane Lane was going insane.  
  
She grabbed her hair with both hands in agitation. Her hair was rather messy, and she had bags under her eyes. She was not getting much sleep since she came back to Lawndale.  
  
"Grrr, shoot me already! Damn you lazy bums!" she shouted, kicking a can across the floor.  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"Coming, damnit! You don't have to be so loud." she grumbled as she went over to the door. She opened it up to see Daria looking at her. "Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."  
  
"Very funny, Morgendorffer. Actually, I didn't get any sleep last night. Trent and his band got a little 'wild' last night."  
  
"You seem to be putting it lightly."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"So, I'll assume you want out of this-"  
  
"Hell-hole. Yep."  
  
"Where do you want to go?"  
  
"Out."  
  
"That narrows it down."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Works for me."  
  
Jane's face lightened slightly. She could just as stone-faced as Daria, but right now all she had wanted was to see her best friend.  
  
"Well, I guess I had better tell Trent I'll be gone, although it probably won't make much of a difference."  
  
Daria and Jane walked down to the basement, where Mystik Spiral was "experimenting". Let's just say it is not good to play when you have a hangover. Trent looked up.  
  
"Oh, hey sis. Hey Daria" Trent said with a smile.  
  
Daria wrinkled her nose from the stench of beer, but nodded politely at Trent.  
  
"You guys sound like crap, you know that?" Jane snapped at him.  
  
Trent frowned. "Hey, give us a break. We've been working on it all night."  
  
"Yeah, I KNOW. Which is why I'm getting the hell out of here with Daria."  
  
"When will you be coming home?"  
  
"Don't know. You'll probably be asleep when I get back anyway."  
  
"True. The band and I are pretty burned out."  
  
Jane rolled her eyes, spun on her heel and walked back up the stairs, Daria following close behind.  
  
"Thank GOD you're here. I'm so sick of this place. I'm just about ready to shoot myself."  
  
"Before you do that, you wouldn't mind shooting me would you?"  
  
"Hey, what are friends for?"  
  
Jane and Daria smirked just a little, in spite of the situation.  
  
"So, where do want to go?"  
  
"Don't know, don't care. Hey, isn't Sick Sad World on soon?"  
  
~*~  
  
It was on, alright. Actually, there was a whole marathon going on. By that point in time, the alien special was on. Jane grabbed the remote and shut off the t.v.  
  
"That episode still gives me the creeps."  
  
"I've seen creepier."  
  
"Such as.?"  
  
Daria sighed, and went into detail about what had happened that morning. Jane gawked at her.  
  
".Okay, I knew you're dad was nuts, but to that extent?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't know.maybe I'm overreacting?"  
  
"Possibly" Jane said with a shrug. "But you never know. Why do you think that he really has gone crazy?"  
  
"Just the look in his eyes.I've never seen him so shaken or freaked out in my life. He looked like he was in shock. Usually when he thinks about his father, he just gets really cranky and-"  
  
"Whiny. But he wasn't like that at all this time?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"Don't have a clue. I guess I'll just keep an eye on him, and see what else might happen. I mean, for all I know, I'm just thinking too much into things and it will all be over, right?"  
  
Jane looked at her somberly. Daria sighed.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Daria. But, whatever happens, you can always come talk to me, okay?" she said with a slight smile.  
  
Daria nodded.  
  
"Anyhow, I know you and Tom went to eat pizza," she said, hiding a grin. "I know I'm going to sound like a stupid teen prep when I say this, but- details, please."  
  
Daria rolled her eyes and went into telling Jane about lunch.  
  
".And then you called, so I told him I had to leave, and-" Daria stopped herself abruptly, her cheeks turning rather red.  
  
Jane lifted an eyebrow. "And.?"  
  
"And that's it."  
  
"Don't you give me that, Morgendorffer. I've been to our old pizza joint, and I know there's mistletoe at the door.I think they purposely put that up AFTER we left."  
  
Daria was fighting an inner struggle, but finally gave in. "Well.he kinda just looked at me funny, so then I finally just gave him a peck on the cheek and left as fast as I could."  
  
Jane smirked at her.  
  
"Don't give me that look."  
  
"Sorry, Morgendorffer, but it can't be helped.and neither can you."  
  
"Don't say it."  
  
"Why shouldn't I? You know it's true."  
  
"If I admit it to myself, then the apocalypse will commence."  
  
"Don't you want to be happy, Daria?"  
  
"I don't know the meaning of the word. Look, in the end, we'll just have to say goodbye again. It's just not worth it."  
  
"Daria, if you don't try again, then you're going to regret it for the rest of your life. You'll be a stinky old lady with a bunch of cats. Is that what you really want?"  
  
Daria sighed and looked down at the table. "Well, I guess not."  
  
"We'll have you two back together in no time, and then you'll be yourself again."  
  
Daria looked up at Jane. "No, I won't be."  
  
Jane frowned at her, and Daria shook her head.  
  
"I still need my glasses."  
  
Jane smirked. "Yes, it is getting rather difficult to look at you with this new pair. You look an awful lot more sophisticated."  
  
".Please don't say that again."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"You don't sound sorry."  
  
"Do I have to be?"  
  
"I guess not."  
  
"So, how is the Christmas party planning coming along?"  
  
Daria frowned. "Actually, I haven't heard anyone talk about it at home yet."  
  
"I can smell an evil foreboding arising."  
  
"And it stinks, too."  
  
"Speaking of stinky things, I was wondering.er, if it's okay with you.can I stay over at your place for a while? Honestly, I can't stand being in my own house."  
  
"Of course you can. Although I'll have to warn you, it's going to be a mad house."  
  
"A Morgendorffer mad house. I like it."  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter 7.  
  
So, what do you think? Please review. 


	8. Relatives

Disclaimers: You know the drill. I don't own these characters. But I don't have money either, so it would be pointless to sue me.  
  
A/N: To those of you that reviewed thank you very much. As for 'Mink the Pink', if you don't like my chapter uploading, I really don't care. This is my story, and I'm not writing it just to make YOU happy. I actually have a life outside of writing that keeps me VERY busy. If you don't like it, then that's your problem. Savvy? I'm sorry for those of you who had to read that. It just irritates me when people act like that. Whatever, it's over. Anyhow, I'm sorry it takes me so long to upload. I'm on Spring Break now, so I actually have some time on my hands.  
  
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.  
  
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~  
  
Part One  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Daria and Jane went back to the Morgendorffer residence, unsure of what to expect. When they got to the door, they could hear a very loud argument going on in the living room.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"Don't fret, Obi-Wan. We can always pull out our $20.00 lightsabers."  
  
"Sound effects included."  
  
Daria unlocked and opened to door, and Helen, Jake, Rita and recently added Aunt Amy were staring at Daria and Jane.  
  
"Uh. . .hi" Daria said, looking like a deer in headlights.  
  
Amy frowned at Daria for a moment and then smiled. "Daria, I love those new glasses! They really suit you."  
  
Daria smiled slightly. A compliment from Amy was a real compliment in Daria's opinion.  
  
"Thanks. Er, mom? Is it okay if Jane stays over with us for a while?"  
  
"Of course! The more the merrier as I like to say." Helen shot a look at Rita rather quickly. At this Daria and Amy made eye-contact with each other. . .this was going to get ugly.  
  
"We were just talking about decorations for the party, Daria" Rita said somewhat haughtily. "I think the best way to go would be to just deck it out with red and green. And I was thinking a few of those light-up reindeers over there around the tree. . ."  
  
"But what about people who don't celebrate Christmas? What about Hanukah for instance?"  
  
"What, do you want to throw around a bunch of blue decorations now? This is Helen's house, after all!"  
  
Helen crouched slightly, looking rather nervous. Jake picked up his coffee mug and sipped while his eyes darted quickly around.  
  
"Well I'm just saying my opinion, Rita" Amy said with a glare.  
  
"And I don't like it, you snobby-"  
  
"Girls, girls!" Jake said rather nervously, trying to sound jovial.  
  
Rita and Amy shot daggers at him and exclaimed in unison, "Shut-up!" Then their faces snapped back at each other.  
  
Jane looked at Daria pleadingly, 'Let's get out of here.'  
  
Daria nodded and started to back up slightly. "Where do you think you're going, Daria?!" Rita snapped at her.  
  
"Don't talk to MY daughter that way!" Helen snapped back, now sitting straight and glaring at her sister.  
  
Out of the blue Quinn dashed down and grabbed both Daria and Jane by the arms. "I've got SO much that I need to talk to you about!" She dragged them up the stairs and away from the pure chaos about to ensue in the living room.  
  
Once they got into Quinn's room she locked the door. Jane and Daria looked at her wide-eyed.  
  
"Why are you taking us hostage?" Daria said, somewhat glaring at Quinn.  
  
Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes. "I did it to SAVE you both! They've been at it all day."  
  
"Yeah, well, thanks" Daria said, walking back to the door and letting herself out. Jane hesitated for a moment, murmured thanks to Quinn, and then went out after Daria. Quinn watched them both go rather sadly, and she looked down at her feet and sighed.  
  
Once they got to Daria's room, Jane spun her around. "Hey! She really did do something nice for you."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So? You blew her off! That really isn't fair, Daria."  
  
"I don't care. She's the bane of my existence."  
  
"She doesn't want to be anymore."  
  
"Doesn't matter."  
  
Jane sighed and shook her head. "Okay, whatever. I'm just saying this as a friend: soon you'll go back to college, and who knows when you'll see your sister again. Then you'll get married, have kids-"  
  
"Me, get married and have kids? You've GOT to be kidding me."  
  
"Oh, just shut-up for one second! This is just the beginning of being split from your family. I'm just saying. . .enjoy it while you can."  
  
Daria sighed. "I'll think about it."  
  
"Good."  
  
"So, now what?"  
  
"We could dye each other's hair."  
  
"Remember the last time we did that?"  
  
"But neither of us are dating anybody right now."  
  
"True. But what color?"  
  
"I'd say neon pink for you."  
  
"Then I think you should be a beach blonde."  
  
"Oooh! Then we'll have to crimp it, too."  
  
They smirked at each other. Then Jane lifted her eyebrows.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think I've got an insane idea. . .I've had way too much sugar today. But hey, you can also have some sister-bonding time."  
  
". . .now I'm scared."  
  
"You should be. We're going to have a makeover party."  
  
"God help us all."  
  
~*~ Ok, I know that sounds incredibly stupid. . .but I promise it's going to be funny. Anyhow, please review! 


	9. MAKEUP!

Disclaimers: You know the drill. I don't own these characters. But I don't have money either, so it would be pointless to sue me.

A/N: To those of you that reviewed, thank you very much. Again, I'm sorry it takes me so long to upload new chapters, but life has been pretty hectic for me. I apologize for making you readers sit back wondering what the heck will happen at Daria's makeover party.

Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.

Is My Sanity Gone Yet?

Part Nine

"Jane, I am positively afraid to ever let you sleep over at my house again."

"Don't worry Daria, this will be fun. In that freakish girly sort of way."

"Key term: freakish."

Jane and Daria had walked back out of Daria's room and were once again facing Quinn's door, but now closed. Jane and Daria exchanged glances, and then Jane finally knocked.

"Who's there?" Quinn's voice called, sounding a bit muffled.

Jane looked at Daria, and she sighed and called back. "Daria and Jane. We wanted to ask you something."

There was a pause, and then they heard scrambling over to the door. Quinn opened it looking slightly confused.

"Uh, hey. . .what is it?"

"Well" Jane said, stepping up a bit closer to Quinn, "we are bored stiff, and quite frankly, the idea of having a girly party sounds quite intriguing. But, seeing as Daria and I have never undergone such an operation, we realized that we needed your assistance, and can join in the fun."

Quinn blinked at the both of them for a moment, wondering if she had honestly just heard what had been said. It wasn't that she was slow, she just never expected Daria or Jane to want to be. . .girly.

"Wow! Okay. Come on inside, and the fun shall begin."

"I can't believe I'm doing this. . ." Daria muttered under her breath as she walked inside.

"Hey, this will be fun, just give your sister a chance" Jane offered quietly as Quinn rushed around her room to set up a few supplies. Daria and Jane sat down on the floor as they watched Quinn run around like a nutcase.

"This is going to be a lot of fun, I promise!" Quinn said as she ran around, pulling put random beauty products. "I always hated doing this with the Fashion Club. If you didn't have the latest new styling product, you were shunned."

Daria and Jane exchanged glances.

"Oh, the whole clique thing was so STUPID. I hated it. I mean, I find a really good blush and suddenly I shouldn't use it any more. I find a cute top, and it's out of style. Fashion shouldn't be like that. You should wear what just simply suits you."

"So then why did you let them dictate your own personal style?" Jane piped up.

Quinn turned and looked at them, looking slightly ashamed. "Because. . .the only thing that really mattered to me was to be accepted. To be popular." She turned away and continued grabbing a few things. "What a stupid concept it is. Its not really about whether people like you or not, but a sort of hierarchy you have. You can easily be a queen or a tyrant."

She had finally finished creating her beauty supply pile, and she sat down with the two of them on the floor. She looked up at them and smiled.

"So, where do you want to start?"

Daria eyed the pile apprehensively. _'Great. First my glasses, now the rest of my face. What's next? My wardrobe that consists of only one type of outfit?'_

Jane picked up a pair of tweezers. She smirked and clapped them together like they were teeth. She turned to Daria. "Hey, Morgendorffer-"

"Come near me with those things and I will make you suffer without mercy."

"By doing what?"

"I will bite you."

Quinn blinked at the two of them. Then she smiled.

"Well, Jane doesn't have all that much to worry about, unless you recently developed rabies."

Both Daria and Jane turned and looked at her in awe.

"That was pretty funny," Jane said with a smirk.

"I'll say."

Quinn grinned.

Daria looked at the tweezers once more, and then looked at her sister.

"Alright, I'll do it. But I'm not letting Jane do my eyebrows. She'll purposely make me have a perfect unibrow or something. . ."

A few hours later, the girls were looking mighty spiffy. And yes, Daria and Jane were in the full-out makeup getup. Not too much though. . .more of the elegant, natural beauty-type thing.

"I'm afraid to look into the mirror" Daria groaned, patting her hair and trying to get used to the new feel.

Jane smirked. "Oh yes Daria, you look even worse than you did before" she mocked.

"Honestly Daria, you look great!" Quinn pulled her sister in front of the mirror. "Look!"

Daria had shut her eyes, but then sighed and opened them. She stared.

It was her. She was still Daria. But now, it seemed like she'd been...highlighted. She'd been brought out.

She smiled.

Quinn looked at her nervously. "Do you like it?"

Daria turned to her sister. "Quinn, thank you."

Quinn smiled.

Jane came up a bit. "You know what I think this calls for? A trip to the mall."

They all looked at each other in unison, Daria a little fearful, Quinn excited, and Jane amused.

Yes, this would certainly be interesting.

Again, sorry about the wait. And if you don't like the length, or how long it took me to put this up, then don't hassle anyone else by putting up something nasty.

Thank you all.


	10. Mall and Mauled

Disclaimers: You know the drill. I don't own these characters. But I don't have money either, so it would be pointless to sue me.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I apologize for not putting up a new chapter sooner...I've been in a musical, and it's been rather hectic. I also want to thank all of you for your support after my last message...I just hate it when authors get crap for what they write. Anyhow, once again, thank you.

Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.

Is My Sanity Gone Yet?

Part Ten

It was a bright, beautiful day, the sun out and no clouds in the sky. The mall was just calling people in Lawndale.

The main doors opened to reveal an...interesting site indeed.

Daria, Jane, and Quinn all stood together, purses in hand, ready to tackle the sale racks.

Well, Daria was in truth rather reluctant.

"I feel exposed" she stated blandly. Jane tugged on her arm to pull her further inside the building.

"Oh, don't be a whiner. This is going to be fun!"

"Depends on what your idea of fun is."

Quinn looked down at the floor for a moment, hurt. Daria's stone face shifted, and she sighed.

"I didn't mean that...sis."

Quinn looked up at met Daria's eyes, and the both smiled briefly.

"All right, let's get the party started!" Jane exclaimed in a fake high voice.

Back on the home front, things weren't looking too good. You guessed it-the ladies were still arguing, and poor Jakey went to hide.

Jakey wasn't in a good state as it was. He was currently pacing about the kitchen, trying to sip his coffee. Unfortunately, the more the women yelled, the more anxious he'd get, and the more he'd think about his father.

"For Christ's sake, it's just a party!" Jake exclaimed to himself in agitation. He was gripping his head, trying desperately to block out the cat noises. No success. Picture someone hitting your skull with a hammer-that's how much Jake's head was hurting.

"Confound it all!" he shouted. Of course the ladies didn't hear him. He sat down at the dining table and picked up the paper to read. After a few moments of looking at the first page, however, he saw his father's face again. The shock made him scream, and he turned to the next page. There was his father again, this time with a chainsaw. Quicker flip of fear. This time his father was lunging at him, groping the air with his hands, looking wild. Jake screamed bloody murder and fell out of his chair; unfortunately, he hit his head in the process, knocking himself out.

The cat fight finally stopped when the sound of something breaking was heard, just after Jake's scream.

Helen looked worriedly toward the kitchen door. "Jakey?"

No answer.

The women looked at each other, then rushed over into the kitchen. Jake was lying on the floor unconscious, a slight trace of blood from his head on the floor. As for the breaking part, well, that was his coffee mug.

Helen screamed and started crying, clutching onto Rita out of pure shock.

Amy remained calm and collected. She bent down and checked Jake out. She got back up and turned to Helen. "He's ok, just unconscious. But we need to get him to the hospital, Helen."

"Oh God!" Helen sobbed in Rita's shoulder.

Back with the trio of girls, shopping was going rather well. 50 percent off sale racks are wonderful.

They were current scouring through one rack when Quinn came up with an idea.

"Hey, girls! I just came up with something fun that we can do today!"

"We're going to buy thongs?" Jane offered. Daria's eyes widened.

"No, no! Each of us has to find an outfit for another person to wear today. Wearing unwashed underwear is dangerous and unsanitary. But I'm talking about just regular apparel."

"Or what WE think is defined as regular apparel" said Jane with a smirk.

"Can they be as un-us as we like?" Daria asked, eager.

"Definitely, that's the idea" Quinn replied with a grin.

"I like it. So who picks out for who?" Daria asked.

"I say Quinn picks out for you, I pick out for Quinn, and you pick out for me" Jane offered.

"Agreed?" Quinn asked.

The girls nodded. They grinned and went back to scouring the sale racks.

about half an hour later

"Okay girls, ready to exchange?"

Daria was handed a light pink teeny-bopper top and super-tight black leather pants. She looked up at Quinn in fear.

"I'm afraid to go out in public in this."

"It's only for today at least. Don't worry, we'll all look funny, so it won't matter."

Jane then handed Quinn a chartreuse-colored dress...the color looked absolutely disgusting. On top of that, there was strange paint markings on it. Quinn lifted an eyebrow at Jane.

"Consider it an...artistic experience" Jane said with a grin. Quinn rolled her eyes and smirked.

Daria pulled out a hot pink miniskirt and a very small white tank top for Jane. On the tank, the Barbie logo was smack dab in the center in pink lettering. Jane looked horrified, then glared at Daria, who was subtly smirking.

"Die, Morgendorffer."

Please review and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can!


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